Accidental Inventions
Dead Media
Candy
Animal Architects
Secret Identities
1

What popular kitchen appliance was invented after engineer Percy Spencer noticed that a radar wave equipment test had completely melted a candy bar in his pocket?

Microwave Oven

1

What handheld digital pet from Japan required constant virtual feeding, playing, and cleaning, or else it would tragically die on its tiny pixelated screen?

Tamagotchi

1

What aerated mixture of sugar, whipped egg whites, and chopped nuts forms the chewy center of Snickers, Milky Way, and 3 Musketeers bars?

Nougat

1

Which social insects build towering, fortress-like mounds out of mud and saliva that feature complex, internal self-ventilating air conditioning systems?

Termites

1

What mild-mannered, glasses-wearing reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper is secretly the alter-ego of Superman?

Clark Kent

2

What snack was invented by chef George Crum in 1853 after a disgruntled customer kept sending his thick-cut French fries back to the kitchen for being too soggy?

Potato Chips

2

What 6-second looping video platform, launched in 2013, birthed modern short-form internet meme culture before being abruptly shut down by Twitter?

Vine

2

What was the first individually wrapped penny candy in America, famously included in WWII soldier rations because it could withstand extreme weather?

Tootsie Roll

2

What geometric shape do honeybees use to construct the cells of their hives because it perfectly maximizes space while using the absolute minimum amount of wax?

Hexagon

2

Which Marvel superhero shattered comic book tropes at the end of his 2008 debut movie by publicly declaring to a room of reporters, "I am... [Super Hero Name]"?

Iron Man/Tony Stark

3

What medical breakthrough was discovered because Alexander Fleming accidentally left a petri dish of bacteria open while he went on vacation, allowing a specific mold to grow?

Penicillin

3

What noisy method of connecting to the internet in the 90s completely blocked a household's landline telephone from being used at the same time?

Dial-Up Internet

3

In a twist of pure irony, what carnival treat was co-invented in 1897 by a dentist named William Morrison?

Cotton Candy (Fairy Floss)

3

What luxurious textile material is harvested from the protective cocoons woven by caterpillars before they transform into moths?

Silk

3

While several characters have held the mantle, who is the forensic scientist most famously known as the speedy alter-ego of The Flash?

Barry Allen

4

What slippery, non-stick coating found on frying pans was accidentally created when a chemist trying to invent a new refrigerant came back to find his gas had polymerized into a white powder?

Teflon

4

What massive social media platform allowed users to customize their profiles with HTML coding, add background music, and rank their "Top 8" friends?

MySpace

4

What rich, fatty substance harvested from the cacao bean is the only actual cacao ingredient found in white chocolate?

Cocoa Butter

4

What semi-aquatic rodent is famous for cutting down trees with its teeth to build massive wood-and-mud structures that alter entire river ecosystems?

Beaver

4

What is the real civilian name of the high school honors student who fights crime in New York City after being bitten by a radioactive arachnid?

Peter Parker

5

What festive device was invented in ancient China when a cook accidentally mixed charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter together inside a hollow bamboo tube?

Fireworks

5

What Microsoft-produced portable media player was launched in 2006 to aggressively compete with Apple’s iPod, but failed miserably despite its loyal cult following?

Zune

5

What jelly bean brand created a special "Blueberry" flavor in 1981 specifically so they could send over three tons of red, white, and blue beans to President Ronald Reagan's inauguration?

Jelly Belly

5

What tiny marine invertebrates secrete a hard calcium carbonate skeleton that, over thousands of years, builds up to form massive structures like the Great Barrier Reef?

Coral Polyps

5

What blind defense attorney uses his hyper-intensified remaining senses to fight crime by night in New York's Hell's Kitchen as Daredevil?

Matt Murdock